Page 62: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Mar/Apr 2023)

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INSIGHTS TECHNOLOGY & RENEWABLE ENERGY

Te Role of Technology in Making Renewable

Energy a Reality

Fugro's Wouter Maas highlights the potential for technology to extend the lifespan and optimize the performance of ofshore wind turbines, leading to increased renewable energy production and a faster transition away from fossil fuels.

By Wouter Maas, Strategy Director Offshore Wind O&M, Fugro he offshore wind industry is now well established and 2050, according to McKinsey.

Twidely relied upon to meet our energy needs. Most of this energy will be supplied by renewable

In January 2023 the UK saw the record for the highest- sources, with the IEA claiming that renewables will be the ever level of wind generation, providing over half of its world’s top electricity source within three years. daily electricity, according to the National Grid. And in This rapid shift towards renewables is driven by both

November 2022, there was a day when wind contributed wants and needs; individuals, countries and organizations its highest-ever share to the electricity mix (70 %). want to reduce their impact on the planet, and many are

Clearly, good progress has been made in the shift to re- also being held to account by global climate goals. newables, but there’s a long way to go for society to make The advantage of renewable energy is that it is scalable. the full shift away from fossil fuels. Arguably, with the right infrastructure in place, it is al-

Building new offshore structures is a big part of the solu- most infnite. Technology can play an important role here tion and, encouragingly, the UK government has pledged in making sure that production is fully optimized and the to deploy 40 GW of offshore wind by 2030. transition to renewable energy can fnally become a reality.

This is four times more than the 10 GW it currently has in production and enough to power every home at current

Improving Asset Longevity electricity usage levels.

New offshore wind projects are critical for countries to

There may, however, be a missed opportunity to use meet growing energy demands and reach Net Zero targets. technology to further increase the production of renew-

However, we must not forget the contribution of existing able energy.

sites and structures. To scale up production, we need to look after the old, as well as the new.

There are already over 2,000 wind turbines off the coast

Scaling Up Energy Production

Electrifcation, rising living standards, and a growing of England, Scotland, and Wales – and we cannot afford population means energy demand is increasing around the for any of them to fall into a state of disrepair. globe. In fact, power consumption is projected to triple by The goal should be for wind turbines to stay operational 62 OFFSHORE ENGINEER OEDIGITAL.COM